Ashen Blade
Warriors of a psionic order of murderers and cutthroats, the Order of Ashes is known and feared for its art of the silent, sudden kill. They’ve learned to strike once and strike fast and hard for the utmost in lethality. To this end, they have learned how to harness their psychic strike and hone it to a razor’s edge for use with their mind blades, augmenting its killing power through their deep meditations and awakening of great psychic potential. While greatly feared where they’re active, legend says you can find these killers by the stain of ashes on their palms—this is a false rumor started by the ashen blades themselves as a way to throw their foolish pursuers off their trail. Hit Die: '''d8 '''Requirements To qualify to become an ashen blade, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. * Skills: Knowledge (Psionics) 2 ranks, Sleight of Hand 2 ranks, Stealth 5 ranks. * Feats: Combat Expertise, Improved Feint. * Blade Skills: Must possess the Mind Daggers blade skill. * Special: Must possess the psychic strike class feature or the covert training class feature. Class Skills: '''The ashen blade’s class skills (and the key ability modifiers) are Acrobatics (Cha), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str). '''Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier. CLASS FEATURES The following are the class features of the ashen blade. Weapon and Armor Proficiency Ashen blades gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies. Manifesting An ashen blade gains manifesting ability if he did not already have it. His power points per day, powers known, and maximum power level known are given on Table: The Ashen Blade. He chooses his powers from the Gifted Blade power list. To learn or manifest a power, he must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level, the save DCs for his powers are Wisdom-based, and he uses his Wisdom score to determine bonus power points. His manifester level for these powers is equal to his class level plus his soulknife level (not to exceed his character level). Alternatively, if the ashen blade was capable of manifesting psionic powers as a gifted blade soulknife before becoming a ashen blade, he may choose to forgo this training, instead opting to progress his existing manifesting class at each level of this prestige class. At each level, he gains power points, access to new powers, and an improved manifester level as if he had gained a level as a gifted blade. Once the ashen blade has chosen his manifesting path, it can never be changed—not even with effects such as psychic reformation. Augmented Strike (Su) At 1st level, the ashen blade is capable of augmenting his attacks with psychic power to make them far more deadly. His level determines what abilities are available to him, and he must spend a number of power points as a swift action to generate these augmentation effects (if applicable, not all abilities are subject to augmentation) which last for one round or until used on his next attack. If the attack misses, the charge is maintained until his next successful attack (melee or ranged) or until his next turn when they expire. He may not perform another augmentation until the previously manifested augmentation has been used or dismissed. A ashen blade may not spend more power points on augmenting his attacks than his class level. A ashen blade may utilize his augmented strike ability a number of times per day equal to 5 + Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) per day. At first level he may apply a single augment, at 4th level he may apply a second augment, and at 7th level he may apply a third augment. See the list at the end of this class desscription for ashen blade augments. Assassin’s Blade At 1st level, the mind blade of the ashen blade becomes dull and partially translucent, as if made of smoke and ashes, to better disguise the weapon and it’s sudden and speedy attacks. The ashen blade’s mind blade continues to grow in power as he walks the path of psionic assassination - each level of this prestige class counts as a level of the soulknife base class when calculating the mind blade enhancement class feature and for determining the effects and prerequisites of blade skills. When making a feint attempt to attack a foe with his mind blade, the ashen blade adds a +4 bonus to the attempt. Additionally, the ashen blade may select a single weapon type as if he had gained the Emulate Melee Weapon blade skill as a form for his mind blade. This must be a light or one-handed melee weapon as anything larger may be too easily noticed. He may select another weapon shape at 4th level, another at 7th level, and a final one at 10th level. If the ashen blade is capable of manifesting a panoply of blades, in lieu of the previous abilities, the ashen blade receives the following abilities from this class feature. He receives the Distill Panoply armory tactic at 1st level and may use this blade skill even if his panoply is not manifested to create a singular dagger (see fast knives below). When using a weapon he is wielding through the use of the Distill Panoply armory tactic and making a feint attempt, he receives a +4 bonus to the attempt. Fast Knives (Su) At 1st level, the ashen blade is always capable of bringing a mind dagger to his hand at the speed of instinct and can release them just as fast. The ashen blade may manifest a single mind dagger to attack and then immediately release it after damage has been rolled as part of a standard attack action (the ashen blade may make a free Sleight of Hand or Stealth check as part of this attack to hide the manifestation of the mind blade and its dismissal). At 1st level, this allows the ashen blade to make a feint attempt against his target when using a mind dagger as a swift action. At 6th level, the ashen blade is so skilled that he can make the attempt as a free action once per round as part of that attack. If this feint attempt is successful, the ashen blade inflicts an additional 1d6 points of damage as if he possessed the sneak attack class feature. If the character possessed sneak attack dice from a previous class, these are added to this attack. Psychic Strike (Su) Starting at 2nd level, the ashen blade may charge his mind blade with destructive psychic energies as a move action. This effect inflicts an additional 1d8 points of damage and is released into an opponent as a free action as part of an attack. This bonus increases to 2d8 points of damage at 5th level, and to 3d8 points of damage at 8th level. If the ashen blade possessed the psychic strike ability from a previous class, these class features stack to determine the total number of psychic strike damage dice. This functions otherwise exactly as the soulknife class feature of the same name (see the soulknife class, Ultimate Psionics ''pg 64, for further details on this ability). '''Cunning (Ex)' At 2nd level, the ashen blade gains a +1 bonus on Bluff and Stealth skill checks made while maintaining psionic focus. The ashen blade may expend his psionic focus to double this bonus for a single Bluff or Stealth check. If the character possessed the cunning class feature from the cutthroat soulknife archetype, his levels in cutthroat stack with his ashen blade levels to determine its effectiveness; if not then this bonuses increases by +1 at 5th level and again at 9th level. Blade Skill At 3rd level, the ashen blade may select a new blade skill. He may select an additional new blade skill at 9th level. Master of Ashes At 10th level, the ashen blade’s skill at killing has reached mastery, and his mind blade is the perfect tool for his art. He no longer has a limit to how many times per day he can use his augmented strike ability and any time he kills a creature with at least 1 Hit Die and an Intelligence of 3 or higher, he may recharge his psychic strike or regain his psionic focus (the ashen blade may choose which). Ashen Blade Augments An ashen blade has access to the following effects for her augmented strike. ---- Increased Psychic Strike: '''The attack inflicts an additional 1d8 points of psychic strike damage. For every 2 power points spent, this damage increases by 1d8 points. The attack must be one to which sneak attack damage applies. ---- '''Focus-Destroying Blow: '''A creature hit by the ashen blade’s attack must make a Will saving throw (DC 12 + Wisdom modifier) or lose its psionic focus in addition to taking the damage from the attack. For every 2 power points spent, the DC increases by 1. ---- '''Stunning Strike: '''A creature hit by the ashen blade’s attack must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + Wisdom modifier) or be stunned for 1 round in addition to taking the damage from the attack. For every 2 power points spent, the DC increases by 1. ---- '''Bypass Concealment: '''The ashen blade’s next attack ignores the miss chance provided by concealment or total concealment. The ashen blade must still attack the correct square when attacking an invisible creature. ---- '''Mental Assault: The ashen blade’s next attack deals 2 points of either Intelligence or Wisdom damage in addition to its normal damage. The ashen blade chooses which type of ability damage to deal when activating the power. For every 2 power points spent, the ability damage increases by 1. ---- Ghost Breaker: The ashen blade’s next attack can strike incorporeal creatures, as if her weapon had the ghost touch ''special ability. This augmentation persists until the ashen blade’s next turn. ---- '''Psychic Vampire': The ashen blade’s next attack drains a number of power points from the target equal to half the damage dealt. Drained power points are available for the ashen blade to use in the following round, but expire at the end of his next turn. ---- Life Quencher: A creature struck by the ashen blade’s next attack gains 1d4 negative levels for 1 round; a successful Fortitude save (DC 17 + Wisdom modifier) reduces this to 1 negative level bestowed. For every 4 power points spent, the duration of the negative levels is increased by 1 round. ---- Synaptic Disruptor: A creature struck by the ashen blade’s next attack cannot cast spells, manifest powers, or use spell-like or psilike abilities for 1 round unless it succeeds on a Will save (DC 17 + Wisdom modifier). For every 2 power points spent, the DC increases by 1. ---- Category:Source: Psionics Augmented: Compilation II